Droneboarding System With Remote Power Supply

ABSTRACT

A droneboarding system is disclosed. The droneboarding system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) for pulling a droneboarder riding a board over a surface, a harness, a tow handle and a plurality of tension lines. Each tension line is attached to the drone and to either the tow handle or the harness. The tension lines are configured in a manner that provides mechanical control of the flight path of the drone. A remote power supply is adapted to be carried by the droneboarder. One of the tension line carries an electrical conductor from the remote power supply to the drone. The electrical conductor provides electrical power from the remote power supply to the drone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Droneboarding is a relatively new recreational activity. Droneboardingis similar to the more established sport of kitesurfing, orkiteboarding. In kiteboarding, kiteboarders employ a large kite or sailto pull themselves over some surface, such as the surface of a lake orthe ocean or, in colder climes, a snow-covered field. A kiteboardertypically rides a board adapted for the particular surface over which heor she intends to travel. For example, a kiteboarder kiteboarding on theocean or on a lake may ride a surfboard, a wakeboard, a water ski, orthe like; whereas a kiteboarder kiteboarding in the snow may ride asnowboard or skis.

A limitation of kiteboarding is that it is dependent on the wind. Oncalm days, the avid kiteboarder must be content with other activities.Not only is kiteboarding dependent on the strength of the wind, but onthe direction of the wind, as well. For example, a strong wind blowingonto shore can prevent ocean-bound kiteboarders from ever getting outonto the water. As any sailor knows, the wind can be a powerful, yetfickle, power source for propelling your craft.

Droneboarding solves this problem by replacing the kite with an unmannedaerial vehicle, or “drone.” Whereas many people are familiar withrelatively small drones, such as those supporting airborne video camerasor those that have been proposed for delivering packages, larger morepowerful drones have been developed capable of pulling individuals overwater and snow at exciting speeds. Employing a drone as the motive forcein a droneboarding system greatly increases the opportunities andlocations where one may enjoy the sport of “boarding” as compared to theopportunities and locations available when a kite is employed.

While solving some of the issues inherent in kiteboarding, droneboardingis itself not without challenges. The first is determining how tocontrol the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle. In typicaldroneboarding systems, the individual being pulled by the drone haslittle or no control over the flight path of the drone. A companion isnecessary to remotely pilot the craft. The remote pilot sends directionand speed commands to the drone via radio control signals. With thisarrangement, the droneboarder, pulled along behind the drone, is simplyalong for the ride.

Another challenge inherent in using a drone to pull a droneboarder isproviding sufficient power to the drone. Most unmanned aerial vehiclesare electric powered. Onboard batteries supply direct current toelectric motors that drive the propellers that create lift and provideforward propulsion to the craft. Pulling a human across the water orsnow requires a significant amount of power. Onboard batteries poweringa droneboarding drone are quickly depleted. Increased electrical storagecapacity (more batteries) is required to extend the flight time of thedrone and prolong the droneboarder's experience; however, increasedstorage capacity means increased weight, as batteries are heavy. Ingeneral, the larger the storage capacity of a battery, the heavier itis. At some point, the additional power provided by additional onboardbatteries is consumed in getting the additional weight of the extrabatteries off the ground.

For the sport of droneboarding to grow and thrive, solutions to thesechallenges are required. Droneboarding enthusiasts see a need for newmechanisms and methods for controlling the flight path of a drone.Preferably, such new mechanisms and methods will allow the individualbeing pulled by drone to control, or at least influence, the directionin which the drone is flying. Furthermore, droneboarders see a need formechanisms that provide additional power to airborne drones. Theadditional power must be provided to the drone in a manner that does notsignificantly add to the weight of the craft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a mechanism for allowing an individualbeing pulled behind an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) to mechanicallycontrol and/or influence the flight path of the drone. The inventionalso provides a system in which additional electrical power is deliveredto the drone via a remote power supply carried by the individual beingpulled by the drone.

An embodiment of a droneboarding system includes a drone. A tension lineattached to the drone is adapted to pull a user tiding a board over asurface. A remote power supply adapted to be carried by the userprovides power to the drone. An electrical conductor is carried to thedrone by the tension line to provide operating power from the remotepower supply to the drone.

Another embodiment of a droneboarding system includes a drone, a harnessworn by a droneboarder, a tow handle and a plurality of tension lines.Each tension line is attached to the drone and to either the tow handleor the harness in a manner that provides mechanical control of theflight path of the drone.

Yet another embodiment of a droneboarding system includes a drone, aharness worn by a user, and a tow handle for pulling the user over asurface. A left tension line extends between a left side of the handleand a left tension line attachment point located on a left side of thedrone. A right tension line extends between a right side of the towhandle and a right tension line attachment point located on a right sideof the drone. A center tension line extends between a center of the towhandle and a center tension line attachment point, wherein the centertension line attachment point is either substantially aft of the leftand right tension line attachment points or substantially forward of theleft and right tension line attachment.

Still another embodiment of the invention provides a drone system. Thedrone system includes a drone having a left front quadrant, a rightfront quadrant, a left rear quadrant and a right rear quadrant. A lefttension line is attached to the drone at one or more left tensionattachment points. The left tension line attachment points are locatedwithin either the left front or left rear quadrant of the drone. A righttension line is attached to one or more right tension line attachmentpoints. The right tension line attachment points are located withineither the right front or right rear quadrants of the drone. A centertension line is attached at one or more center tension line attachmentpoints located in the left rear or right rear quadrants of the drone. Atow handle is adapted to be gripped by a droneboarder to be pulled bythe drone. The left tension line is fastened to a left side of the towhandle. The right tension line is fastened to a right side of the towhandle. The center tension line passes through the tow handle and isfastened to the harness worn by the droneboarder. A stopper is affixedto the center tension line at a point located between the tow handle andthe drone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a droneboarding system according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 depicts a droneboarding system according to another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a circuit for providing remote power toan unmanned aerial vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a simplified two-dimensional representation of a battery packfor providing remote power to an unmanned aerial vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional representation of a battery pack forproviding remote power to an unmanned aerial vehicle;

FIG. 6 is a view of the outward facing side of a droneboarding harnesshaving a battery pack attached thereto;

FIG. 7 is a view of the inward or user facing side of the harness ofFIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the major interconnected components of adroneboarding system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the basic components of a droneboarding system 100according to an embodiment of the present invention. The droneboardingsystem 100 includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) 102 which is usedto pull a user 104 riding a board 106 over a surface.

The drone 102 described herein is representative only. Features of thedrone 102, such as the configuration of the drone, the size and numberof propellers, the presence of an onboard power source, and the like,will vary depending on the make and model of the selected drone. Allthat is required of the drone is that it be large enough and havesufficient power to pull the user and the board on which the user isriding over the particular surface the board is adapted to travel. Forpurposes of the present disclosure, a generic four-propeller“quadcopter” is described.

The board 106 may be a surfboard, a kiteboard, a wakeboard, a snowboard,one or more snow skis or water skis, a skateboard or longboard, or anyother type of board on which an individual may ride over a surface, bethe surface water, snow, asphalt, concrete or some other surface.Employing a drone as the source of motive power provides much greatercontrol over the direction and speed at which the droneboarder maytravel. Such control offers much greater diversity in the locationswhere droneboarders may practice their sport. In the more confinedspaces of urban or suburban locations, for example, a drone may beemployed to pull skateboarders or long boarders along streets andsidewalks, parking lots, and the like. In some cases the board 106 maybe discarded in favor of in-line skates, traditional roller skates, oreven a bicycle. In winter a drone may be employed to pull ice skatersacross a frozen lake, sleds or saucers across snow covered fields andthe like.

The user 104 wears a harness 108 and holds a tow bar or handle 110. Atension line 112 is attached to the drone. The opposite end of thetension line 112 passes through a hole 114 near the center of the towhandle 110 and attaches to a double hook or some other attachmentmechanism mounted on the harness 108 via a quick release ring 124attached to the end of tension line 112. Left and right lateralstabilizing lines 116, 118 may be attached to the tension line 112 at anattachment point 120 located somewhere between the tow handle 110 andthe drone 102, and to the left and right ends of the tow handle 110,respectively.

As will be described in more detail below, the harness 108 may include abattery pack 126 for providing either primary or auxiliary power to thedrone 102 (in alternative embodiments the battery pack 126 may becarried in an arm or thigh band, a backpack, or in some other accessoryworn by the user). A two-conductor flexible cable 128 extends from thepower supply 126 to the tow handle 110 and is carried by the tension 112to the drone 102. The two-conductor cable 1.28 may be clipped to thetension line 112, wrapped around the tension line, integrally formedwith the tension line, or as shown in FIG. 1, a flexible hollow sheath130 may be provided encasing both the tension line 112 and thetwo-conductor cable 128. Near or at the drone 102, the two-conductorcable separates from the tension line 112 and connects to the internalpower circuitry 132 of the drone.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a droneboarding system 150.The droneboarding system of FIG. 2 is similar to the droneboardingsystem of FIG. 1. Like elements in both embodiments have been givenidentical reference numbers. Thus, the droneboarding system 150 of FIG.2 includes a drone 102 pulling a user 104 riding a board 106. The user104 wears a harness 108 and holds a tow handle 110. The harness 108 mayinclude a battery pack 126 for providing electrical power to the drone102. A tension line 112 attached to the drone 102 extends from the droneto the tow handle 110 and passes through a hole 114 formed in the centerof the tow handle 110 and attaches via a quick release ring 124 to adouble hook 122 or some other fastening mechanism mounted on the harness108. A two-conductor cable 128 carries power from the power supply 126to the drone 102.

The main difference between the droneboarding system 150 of FIG. 2 andthe droneboarding system 100 of FIG. 1 is that the left and rightlateral stabilizing lines 116, 118 of droneboarding system 100 have beenreplaced with left and right tension lines 134, 136 which extend all theway from the tow handle 110 to the drone 102 itself. Thus, in thisembodiment, the single tension line 112 of the droneboarding system 100of FIG. 1 becomes the center tension line 112 in the droneboardingsystem 150 of FIG. 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the two-conductorcable 128 is carried to the drone 102 via the right tension line 136 andthe hollow sheath 170; however, those skilled in the art will recognizethat the two-conductor cable 128 could just as well be carried to thedrone 102 via the left tension line 134 or center tension line 112. Abuoyant stopper 172 may be attached to the center tension line 112. Thebuoyant stopper floats in case the droneboarder becomes separated fromthe drone in open water. In such a case, the stopper 172 and the towhandle 110 will float so that the droneboarder may quickly locate thetow handle 110 and regain control of the drone 102. As will be describedbelow, having the three tension lines 134, 136, 112 attached to thedrone in the manner shown in FIG. 2 provides significant mechanicaladvantages for controlling the flight path of the drone 102.

The drone 102 depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is configured as a“quadcopter,” having four propeller assemblies symmetrically arrayedabout a central body 140. A left front post 146 extends from the leftfront quadrant of the drone body 140 to support the left front propeller148 and the left front propeller guard 150. A right front post 152extends from the right front quadrant of the drone body 140 to supportthe right front propeller 154 and the right front propeller guard 156. Aleft rear post 158 extends from the left rear quadrant of the drone body140 to support the left rear propeller 160 and the left rear propellerguard 162. Finally, a right rear post 164 extends from the right rearquadrant of the drone body 140 to support the right rear propeller 166and the right rear propeller guard 168. The drone 102 is substantiallysymmetrical left to right about a longitudinal centerline 142 and frontto back about a lateral centerline 144. Again, it should be noted thatthe drone 102 is illustrative only. The number of propellers may vary,the propeller guards may or may not be included, the manner in which thepropellers are attached to the body of the drone (i.e. the posts 146,152, 158, 164) may be altered or eliminated altogether, withoutdeviating from the inventive concept of the present invention,

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the left tension line 134 is attachedto the left front post 146 that connects the left front propeller 148 tothe main body 140 of the drone 102. The right tension line 136 issimilarly attached to the right front post 152 connecting the rightfront propeller 154 to the main body 140 of the drone 102. The centertension line 112 is attached to the rear of the main body 140 of thedrone 102. The connection points shown in FIG. 2 are illustrative only.Alternative arrangements are possible without departing from theinventive concept of the present invention. For example, the left andright tension lines may each be split into two or more strands which areattached to the drone 102 at multiple locations within the left-frontand right-front quadrants of the drone 102, respectively. Similarly, thecenter tension line 112 may be split into two or more strands thatattach at multiple locations in the rear half of the craft. For purposesof the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the left tension line 134 isattached at one or more points in the left front quadrant of the drone102; the right tension line 136 is attached at one or more points in theright front quadrant of the drone 102, in a manner similar to that ofthe left tension line 134; and the center tension line 112 is attachedat one or more points aft of the points where the left and right tensionlines 134, 136 attach to the drone 102, preferably well aft of thelateral centerline 144 of the drone 102. The opposite end of the lefttension line 134 is fastened to the left side of the tow handle 110(passing through a hole formed in the left side of the tow handle 110and tied off with a knot.) The opposite end of the right tension line136 is fastened to the right side of the tow handle 110 in the samemanner as the left tension line 134. As has already been described, theopposite end of the center tension line passes through a hole 114 formedin the center of the tow handle 110 and attaches to a double hook 122 orsome other fastening mechanism attached to the harness 108 worn by theuser 104 via a quick release ring 124. Alternatively, the center tensionline may pass through the hole 114 in the center of the tow handle 110and be held in place with a stopper (not shown) affixed to the line.

The three-tension-line configuration affords greater mechanical controlof the orientation of the drone 102 than does the single-tension-linearrangement of FIG. 1. The lengths of the left and right tension lines134, 136 are fixed. Accordingly, when the two lines are under tension,the distances between the tow handle 110 and the left front post 146 andthe right front post 152 (the points where the left and right tensionlines attach to the drone 102) will not change. The length of the centertension line 112 is also fixed, but the center tension line 112 isattached to the user 104, not to the tow handle 110. The tow handle isfree to pass up and down along the length of the center tension line112. Moving the tow handle closer to or further away from the user 104will have little or no impact on the center tension line 112; however,moving the tow handle closer to, or further away from, the user 104,will have a significant impact on the left and right tension lines 134,136.

Pulling the left end of the tow handle 110 toward the user 104 pulls theleft front quadrant of the drone 102 toward the user 104. Given theorientation of the drone 102 and user 104, this means pulling the leftfront quadrant of the drone down and back relative to the otherquadrants of the craft. Similarly, pulling the right end of the towhandle toward the user 104 pulls the right front quadrant of the drone102 toward the user, in other words down and back relative to the otherquadrants of the craft. Pulling both ends of the tow handle 110 backtoward the user simultaneously pulls both the left and right frontquadrants of the drone down and back relative to the rear half of thecraft. Conversely, pushing the left end of the tow handle 110 away fromthe user 104 allows the left front quadrant of the drone 102 to moveaway from the user 104 (up and forward relative to the other quadrantsof the craft). Pushing the right end of the tow handle 110 away from theuser 104 allows the right front quadrant of the drone 102 to move awayfrom the user 104 (again, up and forward relative to the other quadrantsof the craft). In practical effect, pulling the tow handle 110 towardthe user increases the forward angle of the craft, causing the craft topull more strongly in the forward direction. Pushing the tow handle awayfrom the user decreases the forward angle of the craft, reducing theforward pull of the craft. Pulling only the left end of the tow handle110 toward the user 104 alters the flight angle of the craft to a moreforward/left orientation, causing the drone 102 to pull the user 104 ina more leftward direction. Similarly, pulling only the right end of thetow handle 110 toward the user 104 alters the flight angle of the craftto a more forward/right orientation, causing the drone to pull the user104 in a more rightward direction.

Releasing the tow handle 110, in the event the droneboarder takes aspill, for example, will have an effect similar to pushing the tow baraway from the droneboarder 104. The forward half of the drone 102, beingunrestrained by he pull of the droneboarder, will begin to rise, pullingthe w handle 110 forward relative to the center tension line 112. Sincethe tow handle 110 passes freely over the center tension line 112, thetow handle 110 will travel up the center tension line 112 until it isstopped by the buoyant stopper 172. The buoyant stopper 172 ispositioned along the center tension line 112 such that, when the towhandle is butting up against the buoyant stopper 172, the lengths of theleft, right, and center tension lines 134, 136, 112, from the tow handle110 to the drone 102 are substantially the same, so that the drone 102will tend to level off and hover in place of its own accord. Thus, thedroneboarder who has released the tow handle 110 may quickly locate andretrieve the tow handle 110 which will be hanging directly below thehovering drone 102.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the attachment pointsbetween the tension lines and the drones may be reversed. The lefttension line 134 may be attached to one or more points in the left rearquadrant of the drone 102, and the right tension may be attached to oneor more points in the right rear quadrant of the drone 102. The centertension line 112 may be attached at one or more points forward of theleft and right tension line attachment points, preferably at one or morepoints in the front half of the drone 102. With this arrangement,pulling the tow handle 110 toward the user will pull the back half ofthe drone 102 downward, reducing the forward angle of the craft, andthus reducing the forward pull of the craft. Pushing the tow handle awayfrom the user will cause the back half of the drone 102 to rise relativeto the front of the craft, thereby increasing the forward angle of thedrone 102 and increasing the forward pull of the craft. Pushing the leftside of the tow handle 110 away from the user will allow the left rearquadrant of the drone 102 to rise, causing the drone 102 to veer to theright. Similarly, pushing the right end of the tow handle 110 away fromthe user will cause the right rear quadrant of the drone 102 to riserelative to the rest of the craft, causing the drone 102 to veer to theleft.

In a variation of the embodiment just described, the center tension line112 may be knotted off at the tow handle 110 rather than passing freelytherethrough. Instead, both the left and right tension lines 134, 136may be allowed to pass freely through the tow handle 110 to connect tothe harness 108 worn by the user. This arrangement will allow mechanicalthrottle control of the drone 102 by altering the attitude of the dronebased on the position of the tow handle 110 relative to the user, butwill not provide much in the way of mechanical steering of the drone 102to the left and right.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit 200 for providing remotepower to an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) 210 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The circuit 200 includes a remotebattery 202, a rheostat 204 (or other variable resistance component suchas a potentiometer, or the like), a switch 206, and fuses 208. Thebattery 202 may comprise a single battery cell or a plurality of batterycells connected in parallel or series with one another, or a pluralityof battery cells connected in some series/parallel combination as thevoltage and current requirements of the craft demand. The rheostat 204,the switch 206, and the fuses 208 are all optional. The rheostat 204 isprovided to alter the resistance of the circuit 200, thereby alteringthe current supplied to the drone. The rheostat may he located such thatit is easily accessible to the user and may be used as a throttle tocontrol the speed and thrust of the drone 210. Alternatively, therheostat may be set to provide a desired fixed current to the drone. Inthis case, the rheostat need not be accessible to the user while thecircuit is in use. In many cases the drone will have its own internalbattery 212. Additionally, each propeller on the craft will typically bedriven by a separate electrical motor 214. The remote battery 202 may beconnected in parallel with the drone's internal battery 212 as shown, orthe remote battery 202 may be connected directly to drone's internalpower circuitry for driving the individual motors 214 powering thedrone's propellers directly. Fuses 208 may be provided to protectagainst power surges, such as, for example, if the drone 210 were to bestruck by lightning or become entangled with electrical power lines.

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic representation of a battery pack 300for use in a droneboarding system according to an embodiment of theinvention. The battery pack 300 includes a number of compartments orpockets 302. The pockets 302 are adapted to hold batteries 304 oradditional circuitry such as positive and negative power distributionblocks 310, 312, rheostat 314 and fuses 316, 317. Additional softbuoyant material such as foam or sponge material may be packed into thepockets 302 to protect the batteries and other circuit elements withinthe pockets 302 and to increase the overall buoyancy of the battery pack300. Positive wires 320 connect the positive terminals of the batteries304 to a positive power distribution block 310. Negative wires 322connect the negative terminals of the batteries 304 to a negative powerdistribution block 312. Further electrical connections are made betweenthe positive power distribution block 310 and the rheostat 314, andbetween the rheostat 314 and an optional fuse 316. The output of fuse316 (or the output of rheostat 314 if optional fuse 316 is omitted) isconnected to one pole of a two-pole electrical connector 318. Thenegative power distribution block 312 is connected to fuse 317, and fromthere to the other pole of the two-pole electrical connector 318 forreleasably connecting the battery pack to a mating connector on externalwiring that carries power to the drone. Electrical connector 318 may bean SAE 2-pin connector, a stereo jack or plug, or the like. Additionalcompartments or pockets 302 (not shown) may be provided for holdingfoam, sponge, or some other soft buoyant material for protecting thebatteries and providing additional buoyancy to the battery pack 300 sothat the battery pack will float in the event the battery pack becomesdetached from the user over a body of water. The battery pack 300 mayinclude vertical or horizontal straps 332 and buckles 334 for attachingthe battery pack 300 to a harness or some other article worn by theuser, or alternatively for attaching the battery pack 300 directly tothe user's body.

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional physical representation of the batterypack 300 shown in FIG. 4. The battery pack 300 includes a rear panel 340and a hinged cover panel 342 attached to the rear panel 340 such thatthe cover panel 342 may be folded over the rear panel 340 to cover theelectrical components housed within the battery pack 300. A zipper 344may be provided to close the battery pack 300 while the battery pack isin use, while also allowing easy access to the batteries 304 and othercomponents within the battery pack 300 in order to change batteries 304and/or replace various other components as needed. The rear panel 340and cover 342 may be formed from multiple layers of neoprene covered ina durable fabric. Alternatively, the rear panel 340 and cover 342 may beformed of plastic, metal, wood, leather, rubber, or any other suitablematerial.

The pockets 302 for holding the batteries 304 and other electricalcomponents may comprise the same durable fabric as that covering therear panel 340 and cover panel 342. The pockets 302 may include fabriccovers 346 for securing the batteries 304 and other electricalcomponents within the pockets 302. The pocket covers 346 may includesnap rings 348, adapted to engage snap posts 350 attached to the pockets302 themselves for releasably securing the pocket covers 346 over thepockets 302. Foam, sponge, or some other buoyant material may also beattached to the rear panel 340 of the battery pack 300 to provideadditional buoyancy to the battery pack 300.

The positive and negative wires 320, 322 for connecting the positive andnegative terminals of the batteries 304 to the positive and negativedistribution blocks 310, 312 in FIG. 4 may be combined intotwo-conductor cables 364. In FIG. 5, electrical connectors 366 may beinterposed between the batteries 304 and the positive and negative powerdistribution blocks 310, 312 so that individual batteries may be easilyswapped out to be recharged or replaced after their charge has beendepleted.

The battery pack 300 may include vertical straps 356 and buckles 358adapted to attach the battery pack 300 to a harness, such as harness 108in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the battery pack 300 may include one or morehorizontal straps 360 and buckles 362 whereby the battery pack 300 maybe secured to the user's thigh or upper arm, or elsewhere on the user'sbody.

A difference between the battery pack 300 shown schematically in FIG. 4and the 3-dimensional representation of a battery pack 300 in FIG. 5 isthat the rheostat 314 and fuse 316 have been removed from one of theinternal pockets 302 of the battery pack 300 and placed in an externalrheostat case 370. The external rheostat case 370 may be attached to anouter surface of the battery pack 300 by stitching, by an adhesive, orby some other attachment means. Alternatively, the rheostat case 370 maybe attached directly to the harness on which the battery pack ismounted.

The rheostat case 370 includes a rheostat handle 372. The rheostathandle 372 allows a user to manually adjust the resistance of therheostat to control the electrical current provided to the drone,thereby acting as a throttle for controlling the pulling force of thedrone. Electrically, the external rheostat 314, is connected to thepositive or negative distribution block 310, 312 by a pair of wires 365,367 that pass into the battery pack through a pair of rubber plugs 374.The output lead from the rheostat along with the negative battery leadexit the rheostat case 370 via a two-conductor cable, which terminatesat a first half of a two-pole electrical connector 376.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the manner in which a battery pack 300 is securedto a droneboarding harness 400. FIG. 6 shows the outer surfaces of thedroneboarding harness 400 that face away from the user's body when theuser is wearing the harness 400, and FIG. 7 shows the inner surfaces ofthe harness that contact the user's body when the user is wearing theharness 400. The drone harness includes a relatively wider back portion402 adapted to be worn around a user's lower back. The wider backportion 402 of the harness gradually tapers into left and right flaps404, 406 which are adapted to wrap around the user's body where they maybe fastened together over the user's mid-section. A front belt portion412 is also adapted to be secured across the user's abdomen and isadapted to be secured to the drone.

An outer surface of the left flap 404 is covered with one side of a hookand loop fastening material 408. Likewise, an inner surface of the rightflap 406 is covered with the opposite side of a hook and loop fasteningmaterial 410. When the harness is wrapped around a user's body, the leftand right flaps may be securely fastened together by pressing togetherthe opposing sides of the hook and loop fastening material covering theouter surface of the left flap 404 and the inner surface of the rightflap 406.

The front belt portion 412 includes a pair of securing loops 416 adaptedto secure a metal bar 414 to the harness 400. The securing loops 416 maybe made of any heavy-duty fabric stitched to the front belt portion 412of the harness 400 in a manner sufficiently strong to withstand theforce of the drone pulling the user. The metal bar 414 includes a safetyclip 418 attached at one end, and a metal bar loop 420 at the other. Adouble hook 422 adapted to receive a quick release ring is attached nearthe center of the metal bar 414.

A left adjusting strap 436 is provided to secure and adjust the lateralposition of metal bar 414. The left adjusting strap 436 may be attachedto the harness 400 by means of a left double-ring buckle 426 and a leftadjustable buckle 430. The left double-ring buckle 426 is secured to theupper left side of the harness 400 by an upper left secured strap 424.The upper left secured strap 424 is stitched or otherwise attached tothe harness 400. The upper left secured strap 424 passes through onering of the left double-ring buckle 426 and loops back on itself whereit is stitched to itself or otherwise secured to itself or to theharness 400. Likewise, the left adjustable buckle 430 is attached to thelower left side of the harness 400 by a lower left secured strap 428.The lower left secured strap 428 is stitched or otherwise attached tothe harness 400. The lower left secured strap 428 passes underneath theadjustable buckle 430 and wraps around a first post 432 in buckle 430.The lower left secured strap 428 then loops back on itself and isstitched to itself or otherwise secured to itself or to the harness 400.The left adjusting strap 436 passes through the outer ring of the leftdouble-ring buckle 426 and loops back on itself where it is stitched toitself to secure the left adjusting strap 436 to the double-ring buckle426 and hence to the harness 400. The left adjusting strap 436 thenpasses through the metal bar loop 420 formed at the end of the metal bar414, through the belt loop 438, and back to the left adjustable buckle430. The left adjusting strap 436 then passes underneath the leftadjustable buckle 430 and wraps around the second post 434 of the leftadjustable buckle 430. The end of the left adjusting strap may then bepulled tight through the adjustable buckle 430 to adjust the tension onthe metal bar 414.

A right adjusting strap 452 is provided similar to the left adjustingstrap 436. The right adjusting strap 452 may be attached to the harness400 by means of a right double-ring buckle 442 and a right adjustablebuckle 446. The right double-ring buckle 442 is secured to the upperright side of the harness 400 by an upper right secured strap 440. Theupper right secured strap 440 is stitched or otherwise attached to theharness 400. The upper right secured strap 440 then passes through onering of the right double-ring buckle 442 and loops back on itself whereit is stitched to itself or otherwise secured to itself or to theharness 400. Likewise, the right adjustable buckle 446 is secured to thelower right side of the harness 400 by a lower right secured strap 444.The lower right secured strap 444 is stitched or otherwise attached tothe harness 400. The lower right secured strap 444 passes underneath theright adjustable buckle 446 and wraps around a first post 448 in buckle446. The lower right secured strap 444 then loops back on itself whereit is stitched to itself or otherwise secured to itself or to theharness 400. The right adjusting strap 452 passes through the outer ringof the right double-ring buckle 442 and loops back on itself where it isstitched to itself to secure the right adjusting strap 452 to the rightdouble-ring buckle 442 and hence to the harness 400 itself. The rightadjusting strap 452 then passes through the larger ring 456 of atwo-ring clasp 458. The right adjusting strap 452 then returns to theright adjustable buckle 446. The right adjusting strap 452 then passesunderneath the right adjustable buckle 446 and wraps around the secondpost 450 of the right adjustable buckle 446. The end of the rightadjusting strap 452 may then be pulled tight through the rightadjustable buckle 446 to adjust the tension on the two-ring clasp 458.

When donning the harness, the user wraps the front belt portion 412 ofthe harness 400 around his or her lower abdomen and clips the safetyclip 418 over the smaller ring 458 of the two-ring clasp 458. The usermay then pull on the loose ends of the left and right adjusting strapsto tighten the harness around the user's body.

The battery pack 300 is secured to the harness 400 by vertical straps356. The vertical straps 356 wrap around the wide central portion 402 ofthe harness 400 and are secured and tightened via adjustable buckles358. The battery pack 300 includes the external rheostat case 370. Ascan be seen, the two-conductor cable 364 exits the rheostat case 370 andterminates at one half of a two-pole electrical connector 366. Theelectrical connector 366 is adapted to mate with a similar but oppositehalf of a two-pole connector attached to the long lead that carriespower to the drone via one of the tension lines, as has already beendescribed.

The harness 400 may also include a handle 462 made of a heavy-dutyfabric stitched to or otherwise attached to the harness 400. Finally, asafety leash attachment cord 468 is attached to the harness via twosafety leash attachment rings 464. The safety leash attachment rings 464are themselves attached to the harness 400 via a pair of safety leashsecured straps 466 which are stitched or otherwise attached to theharness.

FIG. 8 shows the major components of a droneboarding system according toan embodiment of the invention. For simplicity of explanation,components that have already been described have been given the samereference numbers as in earlier drawings. Thus, a droneboarding system500 includes a drone 102 having a drone body 140, a plurality ofpropellers 148, 154, 160, 166 and propeller guards 150, 156, 162, 168. Aleft tension line 134 attaches to a left front post 146, and a righttension line 136 attaches to a tight front post 152. A center tensionline 112 attaches to a back side of the drone body 140. The left tensionline 134 is fastened to the left side of a tow handle 110, and the righttension line is fastened to the right side of the tow handle 110. Thecenter tension line 112 passes through the tow handle 110 and terminatesat a quick release ring 124. The droneboarding system 500 furtherincludes a harness 400. The harness 400 includes, among other things, afront metal bar 414 having a double hook 422 connected thereto. When theharness 400 is being worn by a user, the double hook is arranged suchthat the double hook may receive the quick release ring 124 attached tothe end of the center tension line 112 to secure the drone 102 to theuser. A battery pack 300 is secured to the harness 400 via straps 356. Arheostat case 370 housing a rheostat and having a rheostat adjustmenthandle 372 is externally attached to the battery pack 300. Atwo-conductor cable 364 exits the rheostat case 370 to carry power fromthe battery pack 300 to the drone 102. A pair of two-pole quick releaseelectrical connectors 478, 480 may be provided to divide thetwo-conductor cable 364 into detachable segments so that the batterypack may be quickly detached from the drone, both physically andelectrically, in case of an emergency. As mentioned earlier, theconnectors 478, 480 may comprise an SAE 2-pin connector or the like. Asafety leash 470 may be clipped to a safety leash attachment cord 468securely fastened to the harness 400. The safety leash clip 472 may havea quick release mechanism 474 associated therewith for quickly detachingthe safety leash 470 from the harness in case of an emergency. Thesafety leash 470 itself and the two-conductor cable 364 run togetherthrough a safety leash sheath 476. The safety leash sheath 476 maycomprise a hollow band of elastic material or plastic. Upon exiting thesafety leash sheath 476, the safety leash 470 may be attached to thequick release ring 124 attached to the end of the center tension line112 via a safety clip 482. Alternatively, the safety clip 482 may beclipped onto a ring fastened to the knot of the left tension line 134 oronto a ring fastened to the knot of the right tension line 136. It couldalternatively be clipped onto a ring attached to the center tension line112. Upon exiting the safety leash sheath 476, the two-conductor cable364 is fastened to the right tension line 136 via a cable fastener 174.The cable fastener may be plastic zip-tie, a short section of two-sidedhook and loop ribbon, or the like. A hollow sheath 170 associated withthe right tension line 136 carries the two-conductor cable 364 to thedrone. At the drone, the two-conductor cable exits the hollow sheath 170and connects to the drone's power circuitry 132 (FIG. 2). A stopper ball172 is attached to the center tension line 112 at a point between thetow handle 110 and the drone 102. The stopper ball 172 is positionedsuch that, if the user lets go of the tow handle 110, and the tow handle110 is against the stopper ball 172, the drone 102, while still underpower, will fly substantially parallel to the ground, and will thereforehover in place. Thus, if the user falls and lets go of the tow handle,the drone will hover until the user retakes control of the tow handle110. If the user instead wants to cause the drone to lose power, theuser could pull one of the quick release connectors 478, 480, killingremote power to the drone. In the preferred embodiment, left tensionline 134, center tension line 112, and right tension line 136 are madeof polyethylene or other flexible, cord-like material. However,embodiments of the invention may include one or more materials, eachattached to the drone 140 and to the tow handle 110 and/or harness 400,and/or held by the droneboarder, for the purpose of allowing the droneto provide tension to pull the droneboarder across a surface whileriding a board or other object. Such materials connecting the drone 140may be composed of rope, cord, wire, plastic, wood, metal, or othermaterial.

The droneboarding system 500 provides a mechanism whereby the userriding a board and being pulled over a surface by a drone maymechanically influence the flight path of the drone. The droneboardingsystem further provides a remote source of power for powering the drone.The remote power source provides such power in a manner that does notsubstantially increase the weight needed to be lifted by the drone.

Various embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated; however, the description and illustrations are by way ofexample only. Other embodiments and implementations are possible withinthe scope of the invention and will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art. Therefore, the invention is not limited to thespecific details of the representative embodiments and illustratedexamples in this description. Accordingly, the invention is not to berestricted except as necessitated by the accompanying claims and theirequivalents.

We claim:
 1. A droneboarding system comprising: an unmanned aerialvehicle; a tow handle having a left side and a right side; a tensionline extending between the tow handle and the unmanned aerial vehicle; aremote power supply adapted to provide electrical power to the unmannedaerial vehicle; and first and second conductors electrically connectingthe remote power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle.
 2. Thedroneboarding system of claim 1 further comprising a harness adapted tobe worn by a droneboarder for attaching the droneboarder to the unmannedaerial vehicle
 3. The droneboarding system of claim 2 wherein the remotepower supply comprises a battery pack attached to the harness.
 4. Thedroneboarding system of claim 1 further comprising a backpack adapted toby worn by a droneboarder, and wherein the remote power supply comprisesa battery pack carried in the backpack.
 5. The droneboarding system ofclaim 1 further comprising a variable resistor connected in seriesbetween the remote power supply and the unmanned aerial vehicle forcontrolling the electrical power provided to the unmanned aerialvehicle,
 6. The droneboarding system of claim 1 wherein the remote powersupply comprises a battery pack adapted to be strapped directly to adroneboarder's body.
 7. The droneboarding system of claim 1 furthercomprising one or more fuses connected in series with the first andsecond conductors for protecting against a power surge between theunmanned aerial vehicle and a drone boarder using the droneboardingsystem,
 8. The droneboarding system of claim 1 further comprising atension-line sheath sheathing a significant length of the tension lineand carrying the first and second conductors to the unmanned aerialvehicle.
 9. The droneboarding system of claim 1 wherein the first andsecond conductors comprise a single two-conductor cable associated withthe tension line.
 10. A droneboarding system comprising: a drone; atension line attached to the drone adapted to pull a user riding a boardover a surface; a remote power supply adapted to be carried by the userfor providing power to the drone; and an electrical conductor carried bythe tension line to provide operating power from the remote power supplyto the drone.
 11. The droneboarding system of claim 10 furthercomprising a backpack adapted to be worn by a droneboarder, the remotepower supply being carried in the backpack.
 12. The droneboarding systemof claim 10 wherein the remote power supply is adapted to be strappedonto one of a droneboarder's thigh, upper arm, chest and abdomen. 13.The droneboarding system of claim 10 further comprising a harnessadapted to be worn by a droneboarder for connecting the drone to theuser, and wherein the remote power supply is attached to the harness.14. The droneboarding system of claim 10 wherein the remote power supplycomprises a battery pack.
 15. The droneboarding system of claim 13further comprising a variable resistor electrically interposed betweenthe battery pack and the drone to throttle the drone.
 16. Thedroneboarding system of claim 15 where in the variable resistorcomprises a rheostat.
 17. The droneboarding system of claim 16 whereinthe rheostat is mounted on the battery pack and includes an adjustmenthandle for adjusting the resistance of the rheostat, the adjustmenthandle being accessible to a droneboarder wearing the battery pack,whereby the droneboarder may throttle the drone while the drone is inflight.
 18. The droneboarding system of claim 10 further comprising afuse connected in series with the electrical conductor providingoperating power from the remote power supply to the drone.
 19. Thedroneboarding system of claim 10 wherein the tension line furthercomprises a plurality of tension lines adapted to mechanically influenceaerial movements of the drone.
 20. The droneboarding system of claim 19wherein the plurality of tension lines comprise a left tension lineattached between a left-front quadrant of the drone and a left side of atow handle, a right tension line attached between a right front quadrantof the drone and a right side of the tow handle, and a center tensionline attached to an aft portion of the drone and a harness worn by theuser.
 21. A droneboarding system comprising: a drone; a remote powersupply adapted to be carried by the user for providing power to thedrone; a pole or other rigid or semi-rigid material extending from thedrone and adapted to attach to a tow bar and/or a harness worn by theuser, and/or to be held by the user, such that the drone will pull theuser across a surface; and an electrical conductor carried by the poleor other rigid or semi-rigid material.